Brands demand creativity. Agencies demand respect.

As we start to emerge from the pandemic, the impact of the last two years has left a lasting imprint on society, government, and businesses – but most significantly on people. While some say that it’s time to get back to normal, I view this time as an opportunity to do better. Now is the time to leverage our collective experiences to evolve the way we work, and eradicate bad behaviors and tired narratives across the industry. 

Recently, one of those tired narratives surfaced as a brand CEO chose to disparage agencies in a dismissive tone, incorrectly praising his internal team for developing a creative idea when it actually was presented by one agency and later developed and executed by another. Sadly, this incident hit a familiar nerve for the agency community. When the pandemic hit, agencies did what they’ve always done and stepped up to help clients figure out how to address challenges including supply chain issues and marketing obstacles from production to media, as well as remote ways of working and many others. It is therefore disappointing to see that some are resurrecting dated narratives. 

There are more than 13,000 agencies of all types in the U.S. employing more than 250,000 people who take great pride in their work and enjoy the opportunity to support clients’ business problems and help brands grow through all forms of creativity. So why are agencies still not appropriately valued for their creativity and impact on business?

Client-agency relationships can become messy not only because of day-to-day surface level tension or a question of inherent respect, but also because of a deeper issue: creative work of all types – one of the linchpins of why brands and agencies forge partnerships – is significantly undervalued and overlooked.

According to a McKinsey study published in 2021, companies that engage three elements of growth together—creativity, analytics, and purpose—achieve “dramatically higher average growth rates” with the potential to boost growth by 2.3 times, and 2.7 times throughout the pandemic. 78% of CEOs reportedly depend on CMOs to drive growth. And, according to Adobe's 2021 Digital Trends Report surveying 13,000 marketing, advertising and e-commerce professionals worldwide, engaging in customer empathy and emotional responses that creative efforts target is a key way brands demonstrate knowledge of customer needs.

Clearly, the value add is strong and well-measured. With this said, emphasizing the bottom-line of creativity should not be the primary reason a client-agency relationship is fostered. Agencies develop powerful, bold ideas and plans, and rely on partnership with clients to embrace opportunities, as well as the associated risks, to innovate and explore creative solutions to business challenges that help build brands and companies that drive revenue growth. Instead of receiving appreciation for their work, however, agencies and agency employees are often treated as a commodity with their contributions marginalized. 

The saying, clients get the agency they deserve, goes both ways. Robust partnerships that produce great work and deliver business building impact require a collaborative approach as well as an alignment of shared values and beliefs.

At the 4A’s, our mission is to stand up for agencies and the value they provide through creativity in all forms. We will continue to work with our members as well as partner with the ANA to identify areas to build on the work of the ANA 4A’s Business Case for Relationship Management Program including work on alternative compensation models and agency search simplification. 

I view our role in not only advocating for the industry but also working with our members to drive real change. Time and again, the pandemic has shown our industry that it is possible to change the ways we work for the better. Only by continuing to have candid conversations and address opportunities can we see the changes that our industry needs.